Hello reader, how have you been?
And yes, another blog post out there about surviving UK lockdown as a self-employed person. Who would have thought that we will miss the days when the news was nothing but Brexit?
It's a hard time for all. Many have been put on furlough, or lost their jobs outright, or have lost every single one of their clients in their books for the next few months. Everyone, from pretty much all walks of life, is feeling the pinch (Unless you are one of the idiots that have hundreds and hundreds of bog rolls stashed in your house then you are richer then bitcoin, congrats)
As of the time of writing, we are nearing the end of week 7 of lockdown here in the UK. And it’s been exhausting. It’s actually a little longer for me. I went to visit my dad one weekend, I then get a message saying he had flu-like symptoms so we had to self-isolate from Monday, and by the time Saturday rolled around we were in lockdown. Luckily it was just a seasonal cold and he self-medicated with red wine.
7, going on 8 weeks in and some are still adjusting to working from home. Especially when you have kids.
I found out last year that I was pregnant, and have spent the latter half of 2nd trimester and start of 3rd trimester in lockdown. During this lockdown and fear of getting seriously ill while pregnant as well as work has been very stressful. So, I have been attempting to keep myself calm by implementing some simple guidelines for myself.
1) Keep to a routine
This is a common one everyone says to do but doesn’t work for all, especially for freelancers / self-employed. Some are early risers and some are night owls but no matter which you prefer to keep to regular routine. Have regular breaks, have lunch at the same time every day, etc. Or just stick to the 9 to 5.
Pregnancy has screwed my sleep pattern so my routine in the morning is slightly out compared to normal, but lunch and snacky snacks are taken the same time every day (roughly) And I still wash my clothes every Saturday, and if I feel like it, my husband's clothes.
Oh and shower. Always shower.
2) Change clothes
Oh, the temptation to be in your jammies all day. I still think that getting dressed puts you in the right frame of mind for the day. Even if it’s just into sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt with dried-on paint. I still change from ‘work’ clothes to ‘home’ clothes after coming out of the home office.
Oh and wear trousers is very important. The Postie or Amazon delivery folk don’t want a surprise
3) Learn something new
I am still working for a client but I am still finding time to brush up or learn a new skill. I miss messing about in Blender 3D so I am back in that doing some animation on a model I downloaded from Blender swap. Still got a way to go before it’s actually good. Pick something you have always wanted to start learning or get back into and give it a try.
4) Take a break from the news
I really recommend switching off. Another thing I do is I watch the daily coronavirus briefing Monday to Friday and don’t at weekends. I also avoid having too much time on the computer at the weekends, it’s just set aside to relax, chill calm down and spend more money buying baby clothes. There needs to be a clear divide between work and home. Luckily our home office is in a separate building to the main house. My husband converted a large garden shed into a home office so that's where we commute to every day it has made that divide easier. For others, it’s not that easy but try and establish a work area and routine and then home area and routine.
Listen to a podcast, read a book, watch all of Netflix, or finally complete to 100% Lego Harry Potter on the Xbox.
And let's face it seeing the US President and the UK Prime Minister daily is depressing enough. As well as all of the conspiracy nuts. Who has time for them?
5) It’s OK to not be OK
It’s weird out there. It’s not ‘normal’ it’s OK to be sitting stuck at home on a lovely day and not feel good. It is OK to say ‘I'm struggling’ but the important thing is to say it.
I try and find something positive every day and I share it. But even then I can still feel sad and lonely. It’s OK to feel like this. But if you are in a dark place mentally and need help please talk to someone. The Samaritans are there for you 24/7 and their number is free:116 123 Or if you are being domestically abused and can’t get out, call 999 and press 55. The police will be alerted without you having to talk or call the domestic abuse hotline: 0808 2000 247
This is a tough time for all. You don’t need to go through this in silence or alone. We should be helping each other get through this. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help.
I am pregnant and some of the restrictions scare me. But luckily I have a support network of family and other online mums as well as a fab maternity team at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust. All is not lost.
Well, that's some advice I can give for now. Do you have/know of a blog and helping people through this quarantine? Or just want to share what you have been up to or show off your creative flair? Then comment below or share it with me and I will share it with my network.
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